147 mph in a rented Hyundai Sonata? It sounds like the lawmen in Scottsdale Arizona need to give their collective heads a shake. Big Brother’s speeder cameras are having technical difficulties, but the town officals and the camera manufacturers say no. Never mind that the Sonata is Federally speed limited to 137 mph, it probably wouldn’t even go that fast even though Car & Driver say it will.

If convicted, this poor sod will not only have to pay fines and maybe get jail time. Avis has placed him on their “No Rent” list.

Thanks to Autoblog for the tip. You can read the full story here

related Risky Business

This is great news for Canadian rally enthusiasts. Canadian rally ace Pat Richard has announced that his team Rocket Rally will be partnered with COBB Tuning. COBB is a respected Subaru tuning company based in Salt Lake City.

It’s going to be incredible to see Richard compete head to head with ex World Rally Champion Colin McRae.

press release after the break

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A big yawn. That’s what Michael thinks of NASCAR. Following the announcement that Juan Pablo Montoya is leaving F1 for taxi racing, Schumi has decided to let arrogance reign as always.

“Personally I wouldn’t do it because I think, what do you do in NASCAR? What is exciting there? I can’t see that, running around in ovals,” the German said at the French Grand Prix.

In an interesting contrast, Jacques Villeneuve has also weighed in on the topic:

“NASCAR has always looked very exciting, racing-wise. It’s something definitely to look at if there’s no Formula One,” said the 35-year-old BMW Sauber driver whose contract expires at the end of the season.

“It’s good to see Juan Pablo making the move on his own and not because he was left without a drive.

“I was surprised because it happened early in the year, early enough that there was still time to talk with teams in F1. It’s ballsy, it’s gutsy and it’s great. I was very happy when I saw that,” added Villeneuve.

While I’ve never been a giant NASCAR fan, I would never go so far as to say it is boring. Besides, how much fun would it be to watch Smoke knock some of that arrogance out of Herr Schumacher?

Related Danica

Ok, so this isn’t automotive, who wouldn’t want one of these in The Garage?

Meet the Hyanide Snow Bike Mobile Concept, designed by Germans Oliver Keller and Tillamn Schlootz for the 2006 Michelin Challenge.

A tank style track gives the machine all terrain capability, while a cool flex frame allows fast, sharps turns. Powered by a 60hp 500cc liquid cooled single cylinder, the Hyanide could be capable of 85 mph. Why could? Because the Hyanide currently only exists in 1/5 scale model form. Presumably the designers must be chasing manufacturers to get some backing.

Via Gizmodo

Related Four Wheelin Chair

Those eagle eyes over at Autospies have found pics of the upcoming sports version of the Audi A3, known as the S3. With AWD and 260hp, this beastie could be the ultimate pocket rocket.

Odd photos, appear to be taken indoors, yet the car looks to be covered in road grime.

Front view after the break.

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It’s been an interesting beginning to the Canada Day long weekend. As I was leaving the house at 6 am this morning, I headed into The Garage to get out some bags of old clothes that were headed to the Sally Ann or some such organization. A couple of these bags were inside the old Volvo Turbo. One of the last times I drove the poor old girl, a rock hit the left 1/4 glass and shattered it. Fortunately, the glass never fell out, so we’ve just left it alone. Until this morning, when I inadvertantly pushed on the window instead of the door to close it. There is now a 6 inch hole in the middle of the 1/4 glass, where my hand went through it. Following this stroke of brilliance, Mrs G and I had to spend the next 15 minute picking tiny glass shards out of my mitt. What a spaz!

It’s been a busy weekend here in The Garage, so there’s been no time for posting. Watch tomorrow evening when we take the cover off all the pics and stories from the VARAC Festival at Mosport this weekend. Oh yes, please pass the aloe vera. We need to deal with the nuclear Mosport sunburns!

The fun folks who have brought us such great tools as gmail, google maps, google video & of course added the verb google to our culture are now going to join us in our cars!

That’s right, Google is set to launch dMarc, a service that will provide gps based, location specific advertising. Just like the web ads that know what city you are in, this can tell you what is coming up in the next block. Not only will it remind you to pick up a new suit, but it will direct you to a store in the next block. How cool is that?

While Ramone and friends are coming to a theatre near you this Friday, The Garage is going to a preview screening tomorrow evening. Be sure to visit us late on Wednesday evening to get The Garage viewpoint on the movie.

Related Lightning Mcqueen Found

As regular readers of The Garage may have noticed, I’ve developed a bit of a thing for the Lotus Elise. The traditional Lotus concept of light weight and modest power has always appealed to me. Combine that with a reliable, modern powerplant and you get an unbeatable package.

Today, I came across a super blog by a guy named Chris from Kentucky. My Lotus Elise follows Chris’ travels with his new Elise. The blog showcases Chris’ skill with a camera, showing his Elise in som fab locations including the infamous “Deal’s Gap” in North Carolina, reputed to be one of the best driving roads in North America. I’m looking forward to seeing where Chris shoots the Elise in the future.